


in the nich of time

by hachimitsuto



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 09:05:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16446884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hachimitsuto/pseuds/hachimitsuto
Summary: Jae just wants to live his dream and make some bucks.





	in the nich of time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Naladot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naladot/gifts).



> happy birthday friend! this fic is my lame attempt at humour i hope you enjoy it. all my gratitude to sapphy, my cheerleader.

“Girls _hate_ me,” says Jae, one hand held out grasping something invisible in the air, but knowing him it's probably just for the dramatic effect. He balls it into a fist later and throws a sharp glare to his right. “But _him_ ,” he continues. “They love him. Sometimes even more than their _oppa_. They hate me because I'm tall and I block their view, but I'm not the only tall one here. It doesn’t make sense.”

 

“It makes all the sense in the world,” says Hyerim with a lack of sympathy in her voice. If anything, there's a hint of amusement tugging the corners of her lips. “I mean, Brian looks like _this_ .” She moves her hand circling around Brian's face. “And you look like _that_ ,” she finishes in English, gesturing at Jae's body in the most polite way.

 

“What does that suppose to mean?” Jae retorts, face all scrunched up as if his every muscle wants to tell her how offended he is.

 

Brian doesn't seem affected by this conversation, but Sungjin's shoulders are shaking so hard despite his effort to not let his emotions betray him and offend Jae. It offends Jae even more, though he doesn't say anything.

 

“Well, Brian looks like he could be one of their oppas,” Seunghoon offers unapologetically.

 

“Are you suggesting that I don't have what it takes to be an idol? When my face looks like this?” Jae asks. He probably sees Seunghoon mouthing the words _‘like what?’_ to Hyerim, but he tells himself lip reading is a skill he doesn't possess.

 

“Let’s be real. There's no chance you can ever make it to 2PM. It's unthinkable. Plain impossible,” Seunghoon goes on with a matter-of-fact tone. “Wait, is that why you take Nichkhun’s photos? Because he has the best build a.k.a the body you will never have?”

 

Hyerim raises her hand and Jae sees hope. “Excuse me, but I beg to differ. I think Taecyeon has the best body in 2PM. He’s not called _jjit_ -Taecyeon for no reason.” Hope crushed.

 

Jae flips the empty banana milk container on the table as he speaks up. “Excuse me? But I thought we were talking about _me_.”

 

“The only person who was talking about you was you,” Seunghoon deadpans. Sungjin is still trying to suppress his laugh, and Brian is still unaffected.

 

“Wow. Thanks. My friends, ladies and gentlemen. Incredibly supportive. Very moved. Much touched.”

 

He grabs his bags and gets up to leave. When Brian grabs him by the arm, he almost feels touched. “Hey, do you have any extra memory cards? Mine's almost full and I forgot to bring a spare.”

 

“Dude, just go buy a new one!” Jae brings his hands to his face and sobs into them. He never should have trusted any of his friends, never mind that he wouldn’t have been able to get the tickets if it wasn’t for Brian’s help, or that he’s currently living on Seunghoon’s mercy after moving out from the dormitory a couple of months ago. He hates them all.

  
  
  
  
  


His default answer whenever someone asked him why he runs Khunbucks has always been “to make some bucks”. While that is not exactly wrong, Jae genuinely likes 2PM. Besides, it’s never easy to explain to people how much Nichkhun’s twinkling eyes affected him and how his rendition of Nothing Better kept him up at night without being misunderstood. Not even his cousin Jimin, who cried the first time she went to a 2PM concert and Taecyeon ripped his shirt, would understand.

 

“So what are you going to do after this?” asks Hyerim while going through the photos he took the previous night. They met while waiting in line to get into a music show during Without U promotions. She was by herself and she really needed to go to the bathroom, and she thought she could trust him to save her spot.

 

“Well, there’s a concert tonight, and we’re supposed to be on our way already so if you could eat your burger quickly?” Jae replies, taking his camera back. “Jeez, you got grease all over my camera!”

 

“I mean after this concert ends! After the tour- wait, is it still called a tour when they never went on an actual _tour_?”

 

“Dunno.” He shrugs.

 

Her brows furrow together. “Is that the answer for my first question or second question?”

 

“Dunno.”

 

“You're so annoying,” she says. “For real, are you just going to let your dream of becoming a K-Pop star die?”

 

“Who said I dream of becoming a K-Pop star?” He did. The memory of wailing to his friends about being rejected by JYP Entertainment one drunken night comes back to him as soon as he says that. He shivers.

 

It was back in 2010, high on Dream High, when Jae filmed himself singing My Valentine on his guitar and sent it to the agency. He didn't actually expect to hear back, but when he did receive a letter with the familiar logo on the envelope, he didn't expect to see the words _“Thank you for your interest in JYP Entertainment. Unfortunately…”_ Needless to say, his heart was shattered.

 

“I don't think an idol fansite master should become an idol.” He frowns, trying to tune out the sound of his singing voice that’s suddenly attacking his brain. “Do you think 2PM fans wouldn't recognize me? Also, can you imagine how awkward it would be if I run into Nichkhun in person?”

 

“Who knows? Maybe he'd be pleased.” Hyerim shrugs as she shoves the last of her burger into her mouth before they rush off to the concert venue since they really are running late and he's going to get chewed out by the fangirls again.

 

And Jae blames Hyerim entirely, not because of he did get chewed out for trying to cut lines sneakily, but because the only thing he thinks about while his favourite group performs on stage for what could be their last time, is that he still yearns to be up there.

  
  
  
  
  


He's posting the HQ photos from the concert when @weyoung1989 suddenly tweets ‘REST’. Surprised, confused and feeling somewhat betrayed, Jae immediately calls Brian, who picks up within a second.

 

“What do you mean, rest?” he says, reading the replies that follow the tweet, a series of _‘noooo’_ and _‘ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ’_.  A part of him wonders if they’re just sad that they won’t be able to see Brian anymore.

 

Brian has run We Young since 2011, but they didn't become friends until the next year when he warned Jae about the security guard who was walking by. Japan concerts are strict about filming, and Jae has witnessed another fan's camera being confiscated before.

 

“About time, man,” says Brian in return.

 

“But Wooyoung is not enlisting yet?”

 

“Honestly, does it make a difference? We hardly see him doing things anyway.” He sounds oddly good-humoured about it, so Jae scans his memory to remember if Brian's moist eyes when 2PM were giving their final bow were just a light trick caused by the spotlights. “Besides 6 years is a long time. I ought to be doing something with my life now.”

 

Jae raises his brows. “Do you have a plan?”

 

“Uh, I'm figuring it out now.”

 

Jae doesn't know if he should say a word of sympathy or encouragement, so he says nothing. Then he remembers there was a time when Brian went on a hiatus to focus on his study. Maybe he will get a job now, wearing suit and tie and head to office every morning. It's a strange thought, but Jae realizes he needs to do something about his own future, too.

 

He thinks about Hyerim's words, Brian, and his scrawny but hopeful 19-year-old self, and keeps mulling over his bleak future until Seunghoon kicks him off his couch. Then Jae finds himself standing in front of JYP Entertainment building staring at the photos of their artistes, and thinks he could be up there among 2PM, GOT7 and TWICE. Hell, he should've been there instead of Yoon Dowoon, their new solo artist.

 

He takes a deep breath. After all, _we don't stop, we can't stop until we reach the top_ , right? Fixing the strap of his guitar slung over his shoulder, Jae is about to turn to leave when a huge tinted van drives past and stops at the parking space next to the entrance door. While he doesn't wish to see anyone on particular, he stays just out of curiosity, thinking he might get to see some girl group members, or maybe Yoon Dowoon, or perhaps even -

 

His jaw drops. The person coming out from the van is none other than Nichkhun Horvejkul, the light of his life. His thoughts are lost among the squeals of other fans who have been camping out at Dunkin Donuts right across the road. Nichkhun glances over at the crowd, waves and says something like “drink lots of water, don’t get dehydrated” except Jae is too far gone to hear that.

 

Sure, he's met Nichkhun up close before during fansigns, but he had a practised speech and conversation that he played out in his head. He never prepared himself for this.

 

“Hey, I know you.”

 

A voice cuts his trains of thoughts, and Jae snaps back into the present time only to realize Nichkhun is standing right in front of him, talking to him. “ _Holy shit_ ,” he says, then blinks and starts sweating profusely once he realizes that he just said that out loud. “Wait, I mean, _oh my god_.”

 

Nichkhun just laughs. “I see you have another talent besides taking pictures,” he says, nodding at the guitar.

 

“Oh, I don't- I'm not that-” Jae runs a shaky hand over his mouth and tries not to make his social ineptness show. “I hope we can sing together one day.”

 

“All the best, then.” Nichkhun flashes a smile while patting his shoulder.

 

Jae clutches his heart as Nichkhun turns away. _But you better know that I'm not giving you away!_ , he adds jokingly in his mind. Or not, because the other girls are giving him horrified looks and Nichkhun stops on his track. It takes his brain several seconds to process what just happened, and Jae thinks there is no better time for apocalypse to happen. He should never be allowed to go near Nichkhun again. No wonder JYP turned him down.

 

But Nichkhun, the angel that he is, glances back at him. “I'm your boy,” he says half-laughing, pointing at Jae and winks, the same way he winked his way into his heart all those years ago.

 

The whole world blurs out and Jae thinks maybe it’s alright if his dream to be a K-Pop idol doesn’t work out, because his idol noticed him.


End file.
